2011–12 I-League

The 2011–12 I-League was the fifth season of the I-League. The season began in October 2011 and ended in May 2012. Salgaocar are the defending champions, having won their maiden title in the previous season.

I-League
Season2011–12
ChampionsDempo
3rd I-League title
5th Indian title
RelegatedChirag Club Kerala
HAL
AFC CupEast Bengal
Churchill Brothers
Matches played181
Goals scored521 (2.88 per match)
Top goalscorerRanti Martins (32 goals)
Biggest home winDempo 5-0 Mohun Bagan[1]
Biggest away winHAL 1-8 East Bengal
Highest scoringHAL 1-8 East Bengal
Longest winning run7 games
Dempo
Longest unbeaten run7 games
Dempo
Longest losing run6 games
Chirag United Kerala
Highest attendance90,000
Mohun Bagan 1-0 East Bengal

The current edition has a total of 14 teams contesting for the honors. These include the top twelve teams from the 2010–11 season along with the two promoted sides, Shillong Lajong and Sporting Clube de Goa, who had been the winner and the runner-up in the 2011 I-League 2nd Division respectively.

Teams

According to the AIFF's rules, the two bottom-most teams from the 2010–11 season-ending points table were supposed to be relegated to the second tier, but in actuality, only ONGC FC were relegated after their second to last place finish, while the team finishing the last, JCT FC decided to disband their senior football team at the close of the session.[citation needed]

Shillong Lajong FC and Sporting Clube de Goa, the Champions & Runner-up respectively, of the 2011 I-League 2nd Division, were promoted to the I-League after being relegated only the previous year.[citation needed]

Stadiums and locations

TeamLocationStadiumCapacity
Air IndiaMumbaiCooperage Ground12,000
Chirag United KeralaKozhikodeKaloor International Stadium60,000
Churchill BrothersSalcetteFatorda Stadium27,300
DempoPanjimFatorda Stadium27,300
East BengalKolkataSalt Lake Stadium120,000
HALBangaloreBangalore Football Stadium15,000
Mohun BaganKolkataSalt Lake Stadium120,000
MumbaiMumbaiCooperage Ground12,000
Pailan ArrowsKolkataSalt Lake Stadium120,000
Prayag UnitedKolkataSalt Lake Stadium120,000
PunePuneBalewadi Sports Complex20,000
SalgaocarVascoFatorda Stadium27,300
Shillong LajongShillongJawaharlal Nehru Stadium25,000
Sporting GoaPanjimFatorda Stadium27,300

Managerial changes

In chronological order from the bottom

TeamOutgoing managerManner of departureDate of vacancyPosition in tableIncoming managerDate of appointment
Mohun Bagan Subhash BhowmickCaretaker1 June 2011Pre-season Steve Darby19 July 2011
Churchill Brothers Drago MamicCaretaker1 June 2011Pre-season Manuel Gomes9 June 2011
Pailan Arrows Des BulpinSacked13 August 2011Pre-season Sukhwinder Singh13 August 2011
Chirag United Kerala P. K. UnnikrishnanSacked1 October 2011Pre-season Pakir Ali2 October 2011
Mohun Bagan Steve DarbyResigned15 October 2011Pre-Season Prasanta Banerjee18 October 2011
Pailan Arrows Sukhwinder SinghResigned7 February 201213th Sujit Chakravarty8 February 2012
Churchill Brothers Manuel GomesSacked14 February 20125th Carlos Roberto Pereira15 February 2012
Chirag United Kerala Pakir AliSacked18 February 201212th Biswajit Bhattacharya18 February 2012

Foreign players

ClubPlayer 1Player 2Player 3Asian Player
Air India Henry Ezeh Lamine Tamba Takayuki Omi
Chirag United Kerala Isaac Boakye Charles Dzisah David SundayNone
Churchill Brothers Roberto Mendes Silva Henry Antchouet David Opara Antun Kovacic
Dempo Ranty Martins Koko Sakibo Densill Theobald Yusuke Kato
East Bengal Edmilson Uga Samuel Okpara Penn Orji Tolgay Özbey
HAL Joseph Femi Adeola Rohit Chand
Mohun Bagan Jose Ramirez Barreto Hudson Lima Silva Odafa Onyeka OkolieNone
Mumbai Kingsley Chioma Gbeneme Friday Ebi Sukore Zohib Islam Amiri
Pailan ArrowsPailan Arrows don't use foreigners as they are an Indian Developmental Side
Prayag United Josimar Yusif Yakubu Bello Razaq Kayne Vincent[nb 1]
Pune Keita Mandjou Pierre Djidjia Douhou Chika Wali Arata Izumi
Salgaocar Luciano Sabrosa Maxime Belouet Chidi Edeh Ryuji Sueoka
Shillong Lajong James Gbilee Johnny Menyongar Christopher Chizoba Matthew Mayora
Sporting Goa Boubacar Keita Ogba Kalu Nnanna James Moga Park Jae-Hyun

Ownership changes

ClubNew ownerPrevious ownerDate
Pailan Arrows Pailan Group All India Football Federation31 July 2011[2]
Prayag United Prayag Group RP-Chirag3 August 2011[3]
Chirag United Kerala Chirag Computers Viva Kerala Group7 August 2011[4]
Shillong Lajong Anglian Holdings (20% stake)129 February 2012[5]
  • 1: Anglian Holdings only brought 20% in Shillong Lajong. The rest of the club is still owned by Shillong Lajong plc.

League table

PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualification or relegation
1Dempo (C)2618355921+3857
2East Bengal2615654622+24512013 AFC Cup Group stage[a]
3Churchill Brothers2614664728+19482013 AFC Cup Group stage[b]
4Mohun Bagan2613855132+1947
5Pune2613764434+1046
6Salgaocar2612863219+1344
7Prayag United2611964132+942
8Sporting Goa2611785343+1040
9Air India2695123037−732
10Shillong Lajong2677122444−2028
11Mumbai2673163152−2124
12Chirag United Kerala (R)2662182850−2220Relegation to 2013 I-League 2nd Division[c]
13Pailan Arrows26210141740−2316
14HAL (R)2615201968−498Relegation to 2013 I-League 2nd Division
Source: IndiaFooty.com
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
(C) Champions; (R) Relegated
Notes:

Season charity

IMG Reliance and the I-League have joined hands with the polio eradication campaign India Unite to End Polio Now. IUEPN is an initiative of Aidmatrix Foundation, supported by UNICEF, and a collaborative effort between the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MOHFW), World Health Organization (WHO), National Polio Surveillance Project (NPSP), Rotary International and US Centre for Disease Control (CDC).[7]

Season statistics

Top scorers

[8]

RankPlayerClubGoals
1 Ranti MartinsDempo32
2 Odafa Onyeka OkolieMohun Bagan26
3 Tolgay ÖzbeyEast Bengal18
Henry AntchouetChurchill Brothers
5 James MogaSporting Goa16
Mandjou KeitaPune
7 Yusif YakubuPrayag United12
8 JosimarPrayag United11
Ogba KaluSporting Goa
10 Gbeneme FridayMumbai10
David SundayChirag United Kerala

Top Indian scorers

RankPlayerClubGoals
1 Chinadorai SabeethPailan Arrows9
Manandeep SinghAir India
3 Abdul HamzaHAL8
C.K. VineethChirag United Kerala
5 Sandesh GadkariAir India7
Subhash SinghPune
7 Dawson FernandesSporting Goa6
Clifford MirandaDempo
Lalrindika RalteChurchill Brothers

Hat-tricks

PlayerForAgainstResultDate
Odafa Onyeka OkolieMohun BaganPailan Arrows3–123 October 2011
James MogaSporting Clube de GoaSalgaocar4–25 November 2011
JosimarPrayag UnitedPune5–15 November 2011
Tolgay ÖzbeyEast BengalHAL8–123 November 2011
Henry AntchouetChurchill BrothersShillong Lajong6–017 December 2011
David OparaChurchill BrothersSporting Clube de Goa5–028 December 2011
Odafa Onyeka OkolieMohun BaganChurchill Brothers3–215 January 2012
David OparaChurchill BrothersChirag United Kerala4–04 April 2012
Rohit ChandHALPune4–6 [permanent dead link]10 April 2012
Gbeneme FridayMumbaiHAL5–1 [permanent dead link]14 April 2012
David SundayChirag United KeralaEast Bengal3–416 April 2012
Chinadorai SabeethPailan ArrowsChirag United Kerala3–025 April 2012

Scoring

  • First goal of the season: C.K. Vineeth for Chirag United Club Kerala against HAL (22 October 2011)[9]
  • Fastest goal of the season: 3 minutesAnthony Pereira for Dempo against Shillong Lajong (23 November 2011)[10]
  • Widest winning margin: 7 goals
    • HAL 1-8 East Bengal (23 November 2011)
  • Most goals scored in a match by a single team: 10 goals
    • Pune 6-4 HAL (10 April 2012)
  • Most goals scored in a match by a losing team: 4 goals
    • Pune 6-4 HAL (10 April 2012)
  • Most goals scored in a match by a single player: 4 goals

End-of-season awards

FPAI Team of the Year

Formation: 4-4-2[11]

Nat.PositionNameClub
GKKaranjit SinghSalgaocar
RBDeepak MondalPrayag United
CBMahesh GawliDempo
CBUga OkparaEast Bengal
LBSyed Rahim NabiMohun Bagan
RMRocus LamareSalgaocar
CMPierre Djidjia DouhouPune
CMBetoChurchill Brothers
LMPenn OrjiEast Bengal
STOdafa Onyeka OkolieMohun Bagan
STRanti MartinsDempo
CoachTrevor MorganEast Bengal

Notes

References